PULSE IV 2003

Rashid Al Khalifa painted this abstract artwork, Pulse IV. Abstract art arose in the West in the early 20th century and was quickly tied to ideas about political revolution and social progress. But the history of abstract art has been far more diverse and complex than this origin story suggests. Khalifa, born in Bahrain, takes Western abstract painting as a point of departure but infuses it with his own sensibility, which reflects the culture and geography of the Persian Gulf. We can look at the tones of the painting and the patterns of brushstrokes to find in them the brilliant light of the desert sun and the constant motion of the sea. The title, "Pulse," suggests an interest in how abstract form can express something deeper and more elemental. The historian can help us understand the global character of art by locating the specific resources that an artist draws upon and the unique forms that they create.